The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3648

Chapter 3648 More than a Cog

Ves listened from the side as Gloriana briefly tried to convert as many people to her design philosophy as possible.

Oh sure, she started to address craftsmanship more in the latter half of her lecture, but he still found her story to be a bit too self-centered.

It was as if his wife was more interested in building up her image than actually expounding about craftsmanship.

"Oh well."

She at least kept her story interesting. The time pressure helped a lot. With only fifteen minutes of speaking time, she had to toss away a lot of elements that weren't as interesting.

Ves even agreed on a lot of her points. This was not a coincidence as he and his wife frequently held discussions about their work.

On top of that, they also shared their thoughts more directly with each other whenever they utilized a design network.

Because of this, they contaminated each other's design philosophies and partially converged towards each other.

Both of them still stood their ground when it came to their core ideas. The core of their design philosophies remained unchanged and it would take a much greater external shock for them to change.

Soon enough, Gloriana reached the end of her speech. She graciously wrapped up her moment and briefly reiterated her key points before floating away.

The B-Man stayed so that the audience could continue to admire the custom mech.

"I want a mech like this as well. Why don't mech designers make them this way?"

"What is that thing? Is that a belt? Why is it so big?"

Ves shook his head as he observed the reactions from the crowd. The B-Man may be a fine example of what custom mech design was capable of, but it was also the most farcical mech in the Larkinson Clan!

"Can someone remind Vincent Ricklin that he's supposed to make his way out by now?!"

After a few reminders, the B-Man finally left the stage.

"It's your turn now, Ves." Gloriana said as she approached and took back her two treasures.

Both Aurelia and her Hoenbach handbag were back where they belonged. She grinned and smooched her daughter's tiny head before gazing lovingly at her puelmer leather article.

Ves ignored this little spectacle and moved to the main stage.

Though he could have acted more pretentiously and floated his way forward, that was not his style. He preferred to walk most of the time since that was how he had always moved. The solidity of the surfaces underneath grounded him and made him more connected to his immediate environment.

He needed that reassurance as he was about to hold a brief but extremely important speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Vulcan Symposium." He began. "Most of you have initially heard of my clan and I when we sparked an incident in the Commercial District of Kotor City a few days ago. Who among you have personally experienced the special field that stimulated your creative desires?" _{fɾēewebnσveℓ.com}

Over half of the people who attended the symposium raised their arms. This result completely fell within his expectations. It was hard to blame these individuals from seeking out this magical moment again.

Ves smiled. "What did you think about it now that you can look back on it? You over there. Tell us your thoughts."

A spotlight shone that centered around a random person who raised her hand. The woman genuinely looked befuddled.

"Uhm, I got a lot of new ideas about my work."

"What is your profession?" Ves asked.

"I am an architect." The woman replied as she gained a bit of courage. "I lead my own small bureau. It's called Hartzlan Architecture. I've been involved in designing the architecture of numerous structures in the Commercial District and the Art District."

Though it wasn't obvious to most people, Ves implicitly addressed his words to the Murphy family members who were probably paying close attention at the moment.

"Yet profits are secondary to a true craftsman. While all of us would like to be compensated fairly for our work, money is only a means to an end for individuals like us. I believe that every human desires to attain this goal even if reality tries its best to keep it out of reach. Do you know what it is?" He coyly asked.

He didn't keep them in the dark for long.

"It is the desire to become unique. I don't think there are many children who dream of becoming another faceless cog in a machine. There are an uncountable amount of people out there that largely live forgettable lives. Their coming and passing goes unnoticed by the vast majority of people. Does this sound desirable to you all? I think not. I believe that each of you has a fire in your hearts that seeks to stand out, achieve something memorable and leave a lasting legacy behind. This fire is called passion."

Ves briefly thought back on his greatest works. His masterworks were largely products of passion that never failed to stoke his excitement.

"Passion fuels the engine of creativity." He claimed. "Passion is the driving force behind our ability to express our creativity. If you are not passionate about your work, it will be a thousand times harder for you to make a masterwork."

He swept his gaze across the crowd. "How many of you have looked into your hearts and seen whether there is still a flame inside? Has the years of harsh living and constant challenges in your work managed to douse your flames of passion? I hope that hasn't happened yet. As for those that still retain their fire, cherish it. Do not think that it is easy to keep it alive. You must make a constant effort to express your creativity in your hobby or your work in order to retain an active imagination and a willingness to seek improvement."

Ves thought of all of the times where he encountered problems in his work and spent many hours and days on solving them. He recalled the times when he finally came up with good solutions and the immense amount of satisfaction he derived from those successes.

"As one creator to another, I know how hard it is to do all of this. Keeping your passion alive while also making active improvements in your creative work is far from easy. That is why there are many more cogs in existence. However, the reward for standing out and transcending the machine is worth it! To become unique and to be known as a creator of a fantastic and celebrated work provides so much satisfaction that you will feel as if you have finally completed the main objective of your life!"

He suddenly smirked. "All of this sounds nice, but how will you actually be able to reach this point? Let me tell you that it is not as unattainable as you think. Even if hard work and constant effort can go a long way, there are certain… forms of help that can help you along your way. Receiving the instruction of a teacher or seeking inspiration through travel can help. Yet what if there is another, more convenient way for you to improve your work?"

Several seconds passed by as the crowd quickly sensed that Ves was about to unveil his main point.

"Over the course of my career, I have developed a… method or a system if you will that significantly improves my ability to iterate on my designs and my ability to elevate the mechs I make. It's quite complicated and I would never be able to explain to you how it works, but fortunately for all of you, I have developed it to the point where you can easily make use of it without any fuss."

Ves slowly unholstered the Hammer hanging from the side of his toolbelt and dramatically raised it above his head. The relic already began to exude an enchanting bronze corona!

"Let me introduce you to the Vulcan System!"